A Tangled Web
by Miranthia
Summary: I felt the need to write some Elliot/Olivia smut, and this is what I came up with. I hope you guys like it! I suck a summaries.  Rated M for a reason!


Huzzah, my first completed fic that isn't Hannibal related! Yay :3

ANYWAYS, this was supposed to be just a short piece of smut, but it turned into 32 pages of smut plus more XD It takes place during the Inconceivable and Undercover episodes. I'm a little worried that it's very redundant, as in I'm trying to get back into the swing of writing. Hopefully it's not as much as a disappointment as I'm afraid it is. Enjoy! Please review if you feel up to it! Thank you kindly :)

**AN: **I do not own Law & Order: SVU or anything related to it, characters included. I wish I did though D: I tried to stick to some of the elements of the episodes this is linked to, and I tried to stick to their characters, but I probably failed at that. Oh well, I tried!

_**A Tangled Web**_

Every job had its ups and downs. Sometimes, the day was absolutely fantastic and it progressed smoothly; everything ran according to plan and there were zero problems. Other days, there were some hang ups, but the day as a whole was relatively all right, so to speak. Then there were the horrible days. The kind that made you question the reasons why you were working said job, and is a day that you wouldn't even wish upon your worst enemy.

Today, was one of those days. One of those days, that pushed you to your limit. One of those days that made you ask yourself if it was even worth it. That was pretty much the standard for cases that involved children of any age, whether they'd been born yet or not. Cases like that, were the hardest to cope with, no matter how long you've been on the job.

Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler stood outside of the elevator at Hudson Cryobank. Even though they had already determined who had stolen the frozen embryos, and had arrested the man that had murdered Mr. Gall, both Olivia and Elliot felt it necessary to inform the Doctor of the last events of this tragic case. An air of defeat hung over the two, and Elliot couldn't help but feel he contributed to that by adding extra stress on Olivia. He looked over at his partner every time she sniffed quietly, hating himself even more by the second. This case ate at them both yes, but he knew it was getting to her much worse, even though he was the one with the kids. When you work for any branch of law enforcement, you learn to distance yourself from your victims so that things weren't worse for you. No matter how seasoned of an agent, detective, captain, etc you were…sometimes distancing yourself was next to impossible.

The elevator dinged and Elliot urged Olivia forward gently, his hand on the small of her back. She took the right corner in the back of the elevator, Elliot hitting the lobby button and opted to stand in front of his partner. He watched her for a moment, the woman's eyes glazed and fixated on the ground. It always disturbed him to see her like this, which wasn't often at all. Olivia Benson was one of the toughest individuals that he knew.

While on the job, she put on this badass front in order to keep herself guarded; it made it easier. It took years to build up her own personal wall, and even longer to reinforce it. Every now and then something would chip at it, but it was hard to bring her defenses completely down.

Off-the job she was pretty much the same; stubborn as hell and determined. Though while she was around her unit, she was able to relax and behave more like a normal human being. Cragen, Fin, Novak, Munch, Warner, and Stabler; they were who really made her. They were her family, and she loved them all. Even George. Elliot was her best friend, and he was the one that really knew what made her tick. They'd been through so much together over the years, and he'd always remained by her side.

Occasionally though, the case would get to her, leaving her to feel vulnerable and weak. And that pissed her off to no end. Olivia Benson was _not_ weak.

Elliot sighed, and decided to break the silence. _Somebody this beautiful should __**not**__ be this distressed._ "Liv." She continued to stare at the ground, the unshed tears in her eyes threatening to spill onto her cheeks. "Olivia look at me." Elliot said again, tilting her chin up slightly, her eyes gradually rising to meet his. "We did everything that we could today. You know that, right?"

She nodded her head slowly, a tear breaking free to glide effortlessly down her cheek, much to her horror. "I know El. It's just…hard, you know?"

"I know Liv, I know." She smiled slightly and shrugged her shoulders, a small frown creasing her brow. Elliot sighed sadly and kept his eyes on Olivia. This case was killing his partner. The snippets of conversation and arguments they'd had throughout the day only verified it. "Liv those people at the adoption agency are just ignorant."

She rolled her eyes slightly and sighed brokenly. "Elliot please, jus-"

"No, I won't." he said firmly, taking her face in both of his hands. "You will make a great mother Olivia. I know it." He made up his mind, not thinking twice about it.

Her eyes raised back up to his, confusion and curiosity dancing in them as he brushed the tear away with his thumb. "Will?"

He always knew that she wanted kids. She's wanted them for a long time. But the opportunity has just never come up for her. Which for the most part, totally baffled him because she was absolutely gorgeous and the most loving, caring person that he knew. Not to mention she was the best friend that he's ever had. Though, really, he understood that their job didn't provide much of an opportunity for her. Being a detective of the SVU wasn't exactly family friendly; he knew this all too well. However, he knew that out of everyone, Olivia would excel at maintaining both a family and her job. She'd be a great mother, and continue to be a great partner and one of the best detectives in the city. Elliot wanted to help her, badly. He hated seeing her like this; he did not do well with her vulnerability either. She deserved to be happy, and he was willing to do whatever he had to to help. He just hoped, that this would not jeopardize their partnership, but most importantly their friendship. He's lost her once, and he'd promised himself he'd never do anything to cause her that much anguish again.

Elliot tore his eyes away from Olivia's and hit the emergency stop button, the elevator coming to an abrupt halt. The main lights shut off and the dim back-ups flickered on, plunging the two into partial light.

Olivia looked around slowly, even more confused, her heart rate speeding up slightly. "Wait, what's goi- Elliot?" Her voice hitched in her throat as he backed her into the corner completely, her shoulder blades pressed against the wall and the hand rail jabbing into the small of her back. Her stomach clenched, not unpleasantly either, as his hands rested on her hips. "Wh-"

"Shh." He said quietly, placing a finger on her lips. He slowly ran his hand down her front, their eyes searching each others. Olivia's were filled with uncertainty, but Elliot's….Elliot's eyes were dead set on the task at hand. "Liv, it kills me seeing you like this," he said quietly as he undid her belt, noticing the slight raggedness to his partner's breathing. A part of him wanted to grin in his own personal satisfaction, but he restrained himself for her sake. "And it's getting worse as more cases like this pop up."

Olivia swallowed deeply, feeling the heat radiate from off of his body, knowing full well that her body was doing it as well. She wanted to stop him as she felt the zipper to her jeans go down, Elliot's hands everywhere at once. But no matter how wrong she knew this was, she couldn't bring herself to stop him, or resist. Part of her wanted this, but she refused to admit it. "I d-don't…w-what are you ta-aah!" She gasped as her jeans pooled around her ankles, Elliot lifting her onto the railing. Her arms had automatically wrapped around his neck, her thighs twitching. Olivia's eyes fluttered shut and she involuntarily arched into him as his fingers slid inside of her.

"El…ot d-don't. Th-this isn.. righ- Oh God El!" Even as she attempted to protest slightly, her body betrayed her. His fingers pumped in and out of her slowly, and her hips all too willingly moved with them, his thumb rubbing her sensitive bud.

He nudged the side of her neck with his nose, her quiet moans and broken speech enough to render him rock hard. "I told you earlier in the car, that if you wanted a baby I'd support you no matter what." He whispered against her soft skin, Olivia's underwear and shoes joining her jeans. "I meant it Liv. And believe me when I say I'm going to help you through this and in any way possible. I promise you that." His own pants slid down his legs, the little voice in the back of his mind getting drowned out from Olivia's escalating moans. Elliot removed his fingers from inside of her and slowly buried his throbbing member into her wet heat, both of them groaning lightly. She was tight, and magnificent, her teeth gnawing on her bottom lip as her walls stretched to accommodate his size. Olivia whimpered quietly as he filled her completely, the entire length of his shaft pleasantly engulfed. Elliot grasped her outer thighs tightly as she wrapped her legs around his waist, one arm curled around his neck, her fingers digging into his shoulder as the fingers of her other hand tangled in his hair.

Elliot rest his forehead in the spot just below her ear as he thrust into her, reveling in the sound of her growing cries, their bodies moving simultaneously. He'd never witnessed this side of Olivia, and he had to admit that he liked it, a lot. He wanted to do this all day, until she was completely saturated and constantly hanging on the edge. He wanted to lose himself in her and hear her scream his name. He wanted to leave marks on her body, and feel those luscious mounds under his hands. He wanted to look into her eyes and see her expression as they came together, again and again. He wanted to run his tongue down her body, and ki-

_No._

He couldn't.

This was about helping his best friend in the only way he knew how. This was not about love.

Right?

Olivia cried out loudly as Elliot's life giving seed forced its way inside of her, Elliot moaning in unison as he thrust the last of it into her heated body. He rest his head on her breast, her legs ceasing their tight hold around his waist, resting the back of her head on the wall. Both of them were breathing heavily, their bodies trembling. Olivia ran her fingers through his hair gently, her face and legs glistening in the dim light.

Elliot gently pulled out of her and set her back onto her feet. He slid her underwear and jeans up her long, toned legs, his hands resting on her waist after he'd fixed her belt and slid her shoes back on. After a moment he bent slightly and pulled his own pants up, and then their eyes finally met. Even in the partial light, he could see the feeling and emotions behind those beautiful brown orbs. They were calm, and relaxed. The sadness and anxiety was completely void from her gaze. There was no regret in them either. In that moment, Elliot wanted to kiss her, badly, but knew that he couldn't.

As soon as both their breathing and heart rates were under control, Elliot hit the button again. The light came back on and the elevator continued on its descent. The rest of the ride wasn't much different than any other time, except they stood fairly close together. Closer than usual. The doors opened with a ding, two maintenance workers outside the door, one of them kneeling down next to the control panel. He had the cover off and a pair of wire cutters in his hand.

"Are you folks aight? We been gettin' reports that dis hea' elevata stopped workin'."

"Yeah…yeah we're just fine, thanks." Olivia said with a slight smile. _What did we just do?_ "It only got stuck for a couple of minutes."

"Sorry 'bout that, we'll be inspectin' dis elevata thoroughly. Have a nice evenin' folks."

The two thanked them and strolled out to their car in comfortable silence, each still trying to comprehend what had happened in the elevator. Both of them had figured that it would possibly be a little awkward on the ride back to the precinct, but on the contrary it didn't feel any different.

And neither of them felt guilty.

At all.

That night, as the two lay in their own beds; Elliot next to Kathy, Olivia curled up by herself, each waiting for sleep to come, they couldn't help but think about each other. That wasn't a very uncommon occurrence, they spent 98% of their time together **ALL** the time so it was only natural.

But this?

This was different. Each thought the other felt so…so good, and so…right. Elliot knew that it was a likely chance Olivia didn't take the first time, and she was aware of this as well.

He shifted to his side and sighed deeply. He wanted her, badly. She was like a drug that he couldn't get enough of. This had potential to get rather complicated and out of hand, but Elliot was determined to make it work. Anything, for Olivia's happiness.

During the weeks that followed, things at work progressed as normal, nothing appeared to have changed. For the most part anyway. Every chance he got, Elliot would drag Olivia into empty offices, elevators, empty stairwells, you name it. Each coupling was short, and quiet. The two acted like they always did, but there were subtle differences. They would stand or sit closer together than usual, Elliot was more violent towards anybody that accosted Olivia, and they both seemed happier. Almost…luminous. But, in reality, it was getting harder to try and keep it a secret. And, it was getting harder to admit…things.

By a general consensus, they never kissed, it was always dark, and they kept most of their clothes on. Elliot was the only one to that ever reached release. It didn't bother Olivia much at first, but after a while she started to feel…used. She started to feel like she was nothing more than a good fuck. She knew that that wasn't the case, because all that this was was a friend trying to help a friend. However if she wanted to be honest with herself, the thought hurt her. Primarily because she dropped her guard around him, and was allowing herself to fall in love with her partner. Not because of the sex, no. She was falling for him because of everything he was doing for her, and for everything that he'd done for her. He was going out of his way to help her, and the truth was they both knew that this might not even work. To be fair, she'd always had a thing for him for as long as she could remember. He was the longest relationship she's ever had, and they'd do anything for the other. She loved him, and that was bad. He was married. He had a family. Even though his marriage was already slipping, she didn't want to ruin it further.

In order to protect Elliot, and to protect herself, she denied her feelings. She buried them in her heart, and locked them away. She also decided that if she was in fact to conceive his child, she would take on the responsibility by herself. It wasn't going to be easy, but her mind was set. To her, this was the only way to preserve their friendship, as well as their partnership. Of course, denying all of this on her own terms was easier than denying it while Elliot was around. He himself made it hard; he knew just how to make her feel giddy, and to drop her guard. It was his special talent or something. She could always feel his eyes on her, the feeling and emotions radiating from them causing her to blush like a school girl. He confused her, horribly.

Elliot, was in the same boat as Olivia. Only, he had guilt playing on his side. Though it wasn't quite what anybody would have expected. After a day with Liv, he'd come home to Kathy. Whether they made love or not, the next day he'd feel horrible around Olivia; like he was cheating on her. He'd fallen for Olivia, and he had it bad. He couldn't quite place the when, but he definitely knew the how. It wasn't the sex for him either, it was just her. Just Olivia. He looked forward to work because it meant he'd get to see her, and spend time with her. Like Olivia, he was attempting to deny it for the sake of his kids. His marriage…was a lost cause. It had been for a long time, unfortunately.

They were both caught in this tangled web, and it was up to them to work together and either straighten it out, or create something beautiful.

Almost two months later, Elliot was assigned to a case that would relocate him for a while. Olivia didn't like the idea of being separated from her partner, because he always somehow found a way to get himself hurt, much to her distress. However, this gave her time to think about things. She juggled a plethora of thoughts in her head, each one as crushing and frustrating as the next, but rationality took over and she knew something had to be done. Finally, she'd decided that the right thing to do would be to stop what they were doing. It weighed with her heavily, much to her annoyance, but she was convinced by now that it was a lost cause. To her knowledge, she wasn't pregnant, and her suspicions had been confirmed. She'd waited too long, and the time had passed her by.

A week later, Elliot returned from his case, and he was sure happy to be home. It was one of those nasty cases, and hadn't ended well. On the upside, he didn't get hurt. He also had time to think of things while he was gone, but not very successfully. In short; he didn't get anywhere. He was able to determine that he was an ass though. Every time they were together, he was the only one to be satisfied. Yeah, in all honesty that didn't matter because this wasn't about satisfaction; it was about helping his best friend. But he didn't want to make her feel used, and he was afraid that he had. He wanted to make it right somehow.

Elliot came back to the precinct a little after noon, his bag slung over his shoulder. He looked like he hadn't slept the entire time he was gone.

"Well look who finally decided to come sashayin' back in here."

Elliot chuckled as he set his bag on his desk and looked over at the speaker. "Hello to you too Fin." He looked around, a slight frown on his face. "Where are Munch and Liv?"

Fin crossed his arms across his chest and perched on the edge of his desk, eyeing the one adjacent to his before looking to the one across from Elliot's. "It's been a pretty slow day, an' baby girl's been kinda mopey the past coupla days. Cap had Munch take her out for a bite. They should be back pret- never mind."

"Ah, it's about time you showed back up. Perhaps you'll be able to shed some light on our little storm cloud." John Munch was Munch, end of story.

Elliot arched an eyebrow, Olivia nowhere in sight, and shook his head in amusement. "Drama queens." He chuckled lightly to himself, ignoring Fin and Munch's usual sarcastic banter as he busied himself with his bag. He finally found the case report and pulled it out, the person that had walked up behind him finally deciding to speak.

"Hey El."

He whirled around, and immediately his mind was calm, no doubts or fears running through it. Her hair was shorter than it had been; it was pretty short to begin with, but now it was even more so. There was a soft smile on her face, and she was wearing one of those shirts. A white, long sleeved, button-up blouse. They drove him _**CRAZY.**_ She'd button every button except for the top two, revealing her amazing cleavage. The only difference about this shirt, is that it was shorter and had slits on the sides. Plus, she kept the bottom button unbuttoned, and her jeans were low rising. The sight of her tight lower abdomen caused his stomach to flip-flop.

Their eyes finally met and he smiled the first real smile in over two weeks. "Hey Liv." Denying things, was coming close to no longer being an option. He wished that he could stride over to her and wrap his arms around her, but he couldn't. Or shouldn't. God what he wouldn't give to kiss her right then and there.

It felt like the butterflies in her stomach were doing back flips. She wanted, oh so badly, to run to him and wrap her arms around him, but she couldn't. She wanted to hit him too, because all the things that she'd decided to talk to him about melted away under his gaze, and the genuine smile she had on her face was also the first she'd had in over two weeks. "So, how was the case?" she asked, coming closer to his desk.

He snorted and picked up the rather thick file. "Ha ha, this is how it went."

"I see. It's actually been pretty quiet around here. Wonder if there's a connection." She could hear Fin and Munch 'Oooo ouch!' 'Damn that was pretty good!' in the background, the two sniggering as they were obviously eavesdropping.

"Funny Liv, funny." Elliot snorted and whacked her lightly with the case file, then nodded to Fin and Munch. "I'll be back in a bit guys, gonna drop this off on Cragen's desk and go get somethin' to eat." They said their goodbyes, missing the look that passed between Elliot and Olivia. It wasn't lusty; it was something more…real, and natural.

He plopped the thick file on his Captain's desk, the two exchanging their usual banter. They may not always see eye-to-eye on some things, but they considered each other close. Cragen was like a father to Elliot, and Elliot was like a son to Cragen. Cragen was fond of everyone on his team, but both Elliot and Olivia had this special reservation in Cragen's heart. He'd never admit it, but it was true. Eventually Elliot said his goodbye and left the office, trying to decide what he was going to eat. He passed a room, the door cracked, and briefly glanced in. Then he stopped and doubled back, food completely slipping from his mind. It was a storage room, two smaller filing cabinets lined one wall, the rest of them standard sized. There was one small window built high up in the door, the other two were your standard door frame windows, full-length blinds covering them. The light wasn't on, but the light filtering through the doorway, window, and closed blinds was enough to satisfy Elliot.

Olivia was going through one of the drawers in the smaller filing cabinets. She was resting on her knees and crouched over, the muscles in her lower back standing out. Elliot stood there like an idiot, his eyes glued to her frame. She closed the drawer and straightened up, pulling the top drawer open. Her shirt rode up her sides, showing off her sculpted hour-glass figure, the soft line of her spine teasing him further.

Elliot couldn't take it anymore. He'd already been turned on the moment he'd set eyes on her, but now it was getting harder to hide. He had wanted to wait, out of respect for his partner, but this was way too much and he had to do something. And that something was in front of him.

Olivia found the file she was looking for and got to her feet, the drawer snapping shut the same time the door had. At first the sudden lack of light took her off guard and frightened her, but that was soon forgotten as a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. The breath in her throat escaped her in a shudder as his hands snaked up her shirt, the file falling out of her numb arms.

Elliot caressed her soft skin with the palm of his hands, his fingers squeezing and digging into her sides lightly. He placed his lips on the side of her neck and kissed it lightly, feeling Olivia's heart skip a beat, her neck arching for him. She whimpered slightly as one hand traveled slowly down her front, his fingers sliding under the hem of her pants and underwear to rub her sensitive area slowly. One of her hands joined it, combining his stroking and thrusting fingers with her own; the other grasping the arm that was wrapped around her firmly, Elliot's tongue and lips still on the side of her neck. She arched into him, the back of her head resting on his shoulder, her breath escaping her in shuddering gasps that filled the small room quietly. Her flesh was heated and glistening, small tremors running up her spine.

The little room seemed to heat up rather fast, and Elliot's pants were becoming tighter and tighter the more Olivia cried out and rubbed her body against his. Finally he pulled his hands out of her pants and turned her around, pushing her into the small space between the two filing cabinets. By this time their eyes had adjusted to the partial light and Olivia could tell he was straining against his pants. She allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction, knowing she was the cause of that. Elliot didn't bother with her belt; he slid her pants and underwear down her legs, removing her shoes in the process. He hurriedly unzipped his pants and pushed his boxers down with them before pushing his partner into the wall. He raised one of her legs up, forcing her to stand on her tip toes, the other foot barely resting on the top of the small filing cabinet. It was uncomfortable for her, but as soon as he thrust into her, her tight walls stretching over him, she forgot about it.

Their quiet moans mingled and filled the small room, their hips rocking together. Elliot dug his fingers into Olivia's thigh, pinning her to the wall even tighter as he thrust into her harder, sliding deeper and deeper into her warmth. She wrapped her raised leg around his waist, helping to bring him in even deeper. She tried to keep her voice down, but with each strong thrust she was brought closer and closer to utter bliss.

"Shh baby, just a little longer." He panted gently, his lips resting on her ear lobe. Olivia took the hand that was resting on her side into her own and pressed the palm over her lips, his fingers stroking the side of her face.

Both of their bodies were drenched in sweat and trembling, their combined thrusting fast and desperate. Elliot's knees gave and he sank to them, removing his hand from over Olivia's mouth to wrap his arms around her tightly, his fingers digging into her back. Olivia clawed his shoulder blades through his shirt, her breathing rapid and her cries ragged. She squeezed his waist with her knees, a cracked sob threatening to rip its way out of her lungs as her walls clamped and squeezed around his throbbing member. Elliot flipped them over, Olivia flat on her back, her chest rising and falling heavily. Her hands had found their way under his shirt and he sucked in a sharp breath, growling lowly as her nails ripped into his flesh, his hips rocking powerfully into hers.

Olivia arched her back off of the floor and uttered something incoherently, her mouth opening and closing, the silent scream working its way out of her. They reached their climax at the same time, and in the heat of the moment Elliot covered Olivia's mouth with his, each of them muffling the others cry of ecstasy. Olivia rode the waves of her orgasm out quietly, her thighs twitching and her eyes closed. Her mouth was hovering just under Elliot's, both of them panting heavily, his forehead resting on hers. He finally pulled out of her and they both shuddered slightly.

She felt Elliot lift his head up and her eyes slowly opened. Brown met ice blue, and in that moment something…solid, something definite, clicked into place. It was life changing, and left them both lying there, gazing up into each other's eyes, both at a loss for words. Different emotions were flowing through them, but they were so jumbled and numerous that they couldn't pinpoint just one. That what-ifs, ands, and buts were cropping up, and the fears and doubts from before were now back. Their noses were almost touching, and their lips were merely inches apart. He wanted oh so badly to close the gap, and she did too…

But she couldn't.

He was married. He was just helping a friend. Her heart sank; she knew this needed to stop. She didn't want to hurt Kathy or their kids. And that killed her. They searched each other's eyes, their breathing evened out, and she was now aware of how cold the floor was. She felt tears well up in her eyes, and she finally broke her gaze away from his, sealing her decision in iron.

They moved away from each other and dressed in silence, Olivia gathering the file up in her arms. She pulled the door open and stood there a moment, feeling Elliot's eyes on her back. She took in a deep breath and blinked away her tears, hating herself. "El, I don't think we should do this anymore." She said quietly. "I'm sorry." And with that, she left.

Elliot's heart sank too, because he knew she was right. This was not going to be easy; letting her go was hard enough. Watching her walk away, was even harder. He sighed deeply and walked off in the opposite direction, deciding to get coffee instead of food.

"Oh there you are, I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost." Cragen said as Olivia entered his office.

She laughed slightly and shook her head. "No Captain, somebody just put this in the wrong cabinet."

He snorted and took the file from her, thumbing through its contents. "I hate it when people do that. They're labeled for a reason." He set the open file down on his desk and looked up and the woman he fondly thought of as a daughter. "You all right, Liv? You look like something's bothering you."

Olivia bit her bottom lip, avoiding his eyes. "Yeah, I'm ok. I think I might be coming down with something though."

He studied her carefully, positive that she was lying to him, but he didn't want to press the issue. "Go home and sleep it off, Liv. It's been slow all day, and I doubt it's going to pick up."

"Thank you Captain, I think I'll do just that." She said with her slight smile and a nod, still avoiding his eyes. Elliot had returned to his desk by then, and the two said nothing to one another as Olivia packed her things up and left. Cragen closed the file and folded his hands across the top, a frown on his face. Something, was not right.

A month went by and things between them seemed to go back to normal. Only, outside of work, they didn't see each other at all. Which they both thought was for the best, but in reality it was doing more harm than good; it hurt them both. Denying what they felt for each other, was the one thing that killed Olivia and Elliot the most.

Elliot's marriage was slowly getting worse. Kathy was blaming him for every little thing, and it was getting harder for him to stick around. He loved his kids, but that's where it ended. He loved Kathy, sure, but he wasn't in love _with_ her. His job was stressful and kept him away from his family most of the time, but he did it for them. Kathy didn't believe that, at all. Plus…it didn't feel right, being with her, because he was constantly thinking of Olivia. And that wasn't fair to Kathy.

One night, Elliot had gotten home pretty late, the case they'd been working on was a tough one; they weren't even close to finishing it. Kathy met him at the door and blew up. He let her yell, opting to remain quiet. After about ten minutes though he had had enough of it, and he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. She stopped yelling abruptly and held him, sighing deeply.

"Kath, I don't think this is gonna work."

"I know Elliot. It hasn't been working for a long time."

"I'm sorry."

"I am too, El. It takes two to tango; I married you, not your job, and it's hard for me to admit that you're a combined entity." She said with a shrug.

"Somebody has to do it. You deserve better than this, Kath." He said, kissing her forehead.

She smiled slightly. "You're suited for this job. You love it, and I honestly can't picture you doing anything else." She rest her hand on his cheek and shook her head. "No El, you deserve better. Don't worry, me and the kids won't go anywhere. We'll get through this." Kathy stepped out of his arms and leaned against the counter. "Say hi to Benson for me."

Elliot frowned and arched an eyebrow. "Wha-"

Kathy rolled her eyes and sighed. "I may not be a detective, but I'm not stupid El. You know the only way to keep a successful marriage is to be married to another detective. Besides, I've seen the two of you together; I've probably known both of your feelings longer than the two of you have." Her eyes were sad, and there was a little bit of jealousy in her voice, but she couldn't hate either of them for it. It was bound to happen. "Now go, we'll discuss more later."

He nodded and left the house after hugging her, a mixture of emotions going through him. It was saddening to see the marriage you've been struggling to hold on to for years, suddenly brought to an end. Well it wasn't that sudden, they both knew it was going to end, it was just a matter of time. He was glad, however, that they parted on friendly terms. It was something they'd both decided on, and it didn't end in a huge fight. Hopefully, they'd be able to remain friends. She was the mother of his children after all. They would tell their kids later, when they felt the time was right. But now, he was on a mission, because he had to let it all out now.

Olivia had just finished brushing her teeth when she heard the knock on the door. She sighed and walked through her apartment, hoping that whoever it was would leave before she got to the door. She looked through the peephole and saw Elliot standing there. The butterflies were stirring and her heart sank at the same time. "What El?"

"Liv please let me in, I need to tell you something important."

She rest her head on the door, conflicted thoughts going through her mind. "Can't it wait? I'm tired, it's late, and we have work in the morning."

"No Liv, it can't wait."

She sighed and mentally kicked herself for what she was about to do; all she had on was her underwear and her blue long sleeved, button-up shirt. It was longer than the white one, but still. "All right."

Olivia undid the locks on the door and pulled it open for him, standing off to the side. He came in and she felt a tingle go up her spine as he brushed past her. She went to push the door shut, but Elliot beat her to it. She stood with her back against it, Elliot's hands on either side of her. Her stomach tightened slightly, her heart fluttering, despite her negative thoughts. "What is it, El?"

He had to admit that Liv standing there, partially naked, was a little distracting. But, he had his mind set on one thing, and one thing only, and set aside his…growing distraction. "Kathy and I are splitting up. It wasn't working anymore."

Her initial reaction was sorrow, but that was soon replaced by a glimmer of hope before it turned to hurt. "And so you came running to me?"

"That's-"

"Like some cheap back-up girl?"

"Liv-"

"Is that all I am to you?" Tears leaked onto her cheeks, the hurt and pain evident in her eyes. The wall was crumbling, her guard was down, and she was more vulnerable in this moment than she'd ever been. She was angry that she was this emotional, but once she got started she couldn't make herself stop. Her fears and doubts were overwhelming her. "Am I nothing more than just a fuck buddy? Somebody to help you get off when your wife tells you no?"

At that point, Elliot hated himself, because that's exactly how it looked. Even though it was far from the truth, he could understand why she was feeling this way. It pained him to hear her say these things, but it was up to him to make it right, to show her that she was wrong. He took her by the shoulders lightly. "Look at me Liv." She avoided his eyes until he shook her slightly, his voice firmer. "Olivia, look at me." He stroked the side of her face with his hand, her eyes reluctantly raising to his. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry baby. If that's how I made you feel, it was completely unintentional. That's not it at all, and I'm not using you. I would never dream of it."

Olivia sobbed brokenly and turned her face away from him. "I don't… I'm so confused. I don't understand. I-" Elliot pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her trembling body, Olivia burying her face in his shoulder, no longer able to hold back her grief. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, before he grabbed on to her naked thighs and lifted her up, Olivia's legs wrapping around him as an instinctive response.

Elliot carried her into the small kitchen and set her down on the counter. He stroked her back soothingly, his other hand cradling the back of her head. She clutched the back of his shirt in her hands, her sobs eventually coming to a shuddering halt. She sniffed and rest the back of her head on the cabinet, sighing deeply. Elliot stroked her sides softly, watching her. "What do you want El?" she asked quietly. "What do you want from me?"

He pulled her closer to him, her head no longer resting on the cabinet. He brushed the tears off of her face with this thumbs, her eyes fluttering slightly as he rest his forehead on hers. "You." he said quietly. "I want you, Olivia."

"Why?" she whispered, doubt the only thing present in her mind.

He laughed lightly and nudged her nose with his. He waited until she tentatively raised her eyes to his, wide and desperate to know. "Because I love you, Olivia Benson." And there it was; he was no longer denying a damn thing. Instead he was laying it out for her, plain and simple. No sugar-coating, and no bandying around with words. It was pure Stabler.

The desperation in her eyes vanished, taking her fear and doubts with her. Her eyes were still open wide with pure surprise, and she was sure that her heart had stopped beating for a whole five seconds or so. The electric shock that zapped up her spine when his lips softly brushed against hers jolted it back to life, and the wall that she'd so painstakingly built crumbled to pieces. His mouth returned to hers, his hands running up her thighs to stroke her back, leaving her skin to tingle. He brushed his tongue across her bottom lip, asking for permission to deepen the kiss. Heart thumping loudly, clearly reminding her that it was indeed still there, she parted her lips and wrapped her arms around him, moaning into his mouth from sheer happiness. When their tongues finally met for the first time, they knew that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. The final piece of the web was put in place, and they created something beautiful and unbreakable.

It was also Olivia's undoing.

She held onto Elliot tightly, her fingers grasping his hair, pulling him closer to her. They both suddenly remembered that oxygen was an important thing to have and reluctantly broke the kiss, Olivia's lips slightly swollen and her breathing heavy. Elliot kissed along her jaw slowly, smiling against her skin as her neck slowly arched the closer he got to that spot just below her ear. The shirt on his back began to annoy her and Olivia grabbed the hem, his arms raising so she could rid him of the offensive thing. He sighed in bliss as her hands roamed across his sculpted torso, her gentle hands a godsend on his muscles.

Elliot brought his lips crashing onto hers and kissed her passionately, his fingers working nimbly on the buttons of her shirt. Olivia sucked in a sharp breath as the cool air came into contact with her heated flesh, Elliot pushing the shirt off of her shoulders and sliding it down her arms. They hugged each other tightly, the feel of their skin finally touching utterly magnificent. He kissed the side of her head, inhaling deeply to take in her scent, his heart bursting with many emotions, each one better than the last. Olivia kissed his naked shoulder and stroked the back of his head with her fingers, a smile on her face and tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.

He pulled her off the counter and carried her through the apartment to the bedroom, their eyes locked on to each others. Elliot had been here so many times, he could probably navigate it with his eyes shut. They reached the edge of Olivia's bed and Elliot grunted lowly, Liv deciding to nip the side of his neck, an uncharacteristic giggle reeling out of her as her back came into contact with the mattress. Her giggle turned into a cry as he returned the favor, running his tongue over the mark afterwards. Before she could bite him again, he returned his lips to hers and kissed her slowly. Eventually the need for air arose and he broke away from her lips, trailing his own down her skin. He kissed her bottom lip and moved to her neck, her fingers digging into his shoulders as he left more marks on her. His tongue ran across her collar bone and he trailed it down her body, smiling against her skin as her breathing sped up. He kissed the sensitive skin just below her bellybutton before biting down, Olivia's hips bucking slightly in response, another cry ripping out of her.

Elliot pulled her up slightly and undid the clasp on her bra before tossing it off to the side, taking in the view of her breasts for the first time. For her age, they were perfect. He sat back on his knees and grabbed on to her firm buttocks and pulled her up into his lap, his mouth dropping down to one perky breast, his hand massaging the other one gently. Olivia moaned and ground her hips into his slowly, her back arched and her head thrown back. Elliot moved his hand to the other breast to show it equal attention, growling in appreciation at her grinding, his evident arousal hardening even more as her body rubbed against his, her nails digging into his back.

Olivia's back once again met the mattress and she captured Elliot's lips with hers, kissing him ravenously, her fingers fumbling with the button on his pants. She pushed his pants and boxers off with her feet, Elliot kicking them off to the side as he pulled her underwear off, her naked body his for the appreciating. Elliot settled in between her legs slowly, his hands running up her thighs and sides, eventually taking her hands in his. Their lips met passionately and he pinned her wrists above her head, their lips breaking after a moment, Olivia panting.

"Now that's not fair." she said quietly, her chest rising and falling deeply.

Elliot kissed the end of her nose and grinned, his throbbing member inches away from her entrance. "Who said it had to be?"

Her eyes searched his slowly, a small smile creeping onto her face. She lightly dug her nails into her palms and raised her head, her nose nudging his before kissing his bottom lip. Elliot closed his eyes, her lips hovering underneath his as he slowly sank his member inside of her, Olivia's breath ghosting over his skin as she moaned from the sensation. He eased out of her and eased back in, setting a slow and steady rhythm for them. This was different than all their previous…meetings. He was determined to make it last as long as possible, and show her just how much he really cared; though this was only one of the numerous ways he could do just that.

Olivia lay on her side, her back against Elliot's chest. His arms were wrapped around her, holding her body protectively against his, their fingers intertwined together. Both of them were breathing steadily and had their eyes closed, but Olivia wasn't quite asleep just yet, and something told her that Elliot wasn't either.

"Elliot?" she said quietly.

"Hmm, yeah babe?"

She smiled softly and kissed his fingers lightly; she loved hearing him call her that. She released his hands and turned towards him, propping her head up on one elbow as he rolled slightly and looked up at her. She searched his eyes with hers, one of his hands stroking her back slowly. Liv kissed his lips lightly and rest her hand on the side of his face. "I love you too."

Elliot swallowed the lump in his throat and raised his head slightly to meet her descending lips, feeling his heart swell with emotion. It was the greatest feeling in the world. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, stroking her side softly with his fingers as she rest her head on his chest and sighed in exhaustion, a content smile on her face as they both finally drifted off to sleep.

Elliot moved into Olivia's apartment before his divorce was finalized, less than a week later. Since relationships of a more intimate nature between coworkers were frowned upon, the two kept it to themselves. They didn't even know about Elliot's pending divorce. The two would have to tell their team eventually; it was bad enough they were keeping it from them; they were all pretty much family. But for the time being, it was the best thing to do. Normalcy was the best thing for everyone.

Though, to be honest, the four had it figured out before Elliot and Olivia had even figured it out. Only they thought the two had gotten together a long time ago. Plus…..the marks that often appeared on their necks gave it away.

Everything seemed to be going well; as well as it could be anyway, a life of an SVU Detective is never easy. Then a young girl had been found in a pot garden, the youngster mutilated and raped. Fortunately, she survived it. The case of Ashley Tyler had fallen into their laps, and this one took them all the way to Sealview.

And unfortunately, all the way inside of it.

None of them were comfortable with this at all, most of all Elliot. Nobody liked it when one of their own went undercover, but this was different. Olivia had volunteered herself for this, and was now an inmate at Sealview. She had made a promise to Ashley that she'd find her rapist, her mother's rapist, and eventually her mother's murderer. This was the only way, because the Warden did not want to believe the accusation that it was one of her own guards doing this. Olivia kept her promises.

Elliot, hated it. On the upside, Fin was going to be posing as a new recruit so he'd be able to keep an eye on Liv, and protect her. He knew Fin would die before he let anything happen to Olivia, and that gave him a small bit of comfort, but not much.

The case was closed in a matter of days, and El hadn't been so relieved in his entire life. That is until he saw her in the precinct. One side of her face was bruised, and there was definitely something different about her. The haunted look in her eyes that she tried so hard to hide only made it worse. The look in them when Lowell Harris was let go though, almost killed him.

It was late, and most everyone had gone home for the evening. A few lights still peppered the precinct, the lamp at Olivia's desk one of them. Elliot watched her from one of the darkened desks, hidden by the shadows. It looked like she was working on some paperwork, only she didn't have a pen in hand, and her eyes were fixated on the paper in her hands; they were glazed and unseeing. Fin had filled them in on what supposedly had happened, but Elliot hadn't seen him since. He had the feeling that the man was hiding something.

_Bits of the attack flashed through her mind, the result of Olivia trying hard to block the entire occurrence from her mind completely._

_Fin jerking her away from Parker and knocking her down, then hitting her with his baton._

_The Captain pulling him away from her before crouching to assess her arm, Harris speaking softly. The slight feeling of nervousness washing over her as she was subtly scrutinized under said man's, Lowell Harris, green gaze._

_Risa's body in the Infirmary as the nurse patched her arm up._

_The nausea washing over her as she picked the basketballs up, Parker eyeing her like she was a piece._

"You ok?" he placed one hand on the back of her chair, the other on the desk. Elliot could see that she was glaring at a picture of Harris, and he felt the rage stir in his stomach. It stirred up even more the longer he stared at the bruise on her beautiful face.

She was brought back to the present by the sudden appearance of Elliot. She put the picture down and nodded her head slightly. "Yeah, what are you still doing here?"

"Avoiding diaper duty." Even though the majority of the precinct was gone, there were still some stragglers. "Need a lift?"

She smiled slightly and shook her head, avoiding his eyes as much as she dared to. "No, thanks. I'm gonna…stay a while."

He studied her carefully for a moment, his brow furrowed and his mind spinning. Olivia, was never this guarded around him, ever. Not even before they'd gotten together. "You'll get Harris."

She sighed and crossed her arms across her chest, leaning on her elbows slightly. "For excessive force at best. More likely he'll be transferred and promoted."

Elliot was dumbfounded. "Is he already back at work?"

Olivia chewed on her bottom lip momentarily and finally raised her eyes to his, resisting the urge to choke out a sob. "Yeah." She whispered.

He leaned closer to her, his brow furrowed and his eyes studying hers. Something was not right here, not right at all. His heart was pounding madly as the curiosity and rage slowly bubbled in him. "What happened in the basement?" he asked quietly.

Her eyes broke away from his and she shuffled the papers on her desk, keen on keeping herself busy.

_Harris handcuffing her hands behind her back and leading her down to the basement._

'_What do you want?'_

'_What every man wants. And you're gonna give it to me.'_

_The dirty mattress underneath her, Harris's body crushing her down onto it, her pleas loud in her ears. The panic and fear she felt then overcoming her senses now._

_Being dragged to her feet and forced into the wall, screaming for help as he pressed his body into her back, running his hands all over her._

_Elbowing him in the face before punching him, and running away, trying desperately to find a place to hide._

_Getting dragged to her feet and hit in the stomach. _

_Hit again, the floor was cold. Managing to rise to her knees and elbowing him in the groin._

_Running to the door, banging on it, screaming for help. He was there behind her._

_Hit across the face, sinking to her knees. He cuffed her to the bars on the window. Tears were streaming down her face, the feeling of defeat washing over her. She was too weak to fight him back._

'_Bite me and you're dead.'_

_Fin was there at last, and he helped her to her feet. The self-loathing in his eyes made her feel even worse. And she was ashamed of herself._

_But there was something…._

"Nothing." she said, meeting his eyes momentarily before the phone rang. "I'm fine El. Detective Benson." She was silent a moment, intent on shutting Elliot out. She nodded her head and spoke into the receiver again. "I'll be right there." She hung the phone up and gathered the papers up into her arms. "Ashley's awake. I gotta go."

Elliot let her leave without saying a word, his eyes fixed on her desk. He knew she was lying. He could read her like a book, and as hard as she tried to shut him out and remain stoic, Elliot broke through it. He wanted to know the truth, but he wasn't going to pressure her.

Melinda finished taking the pictures she needed, Elliot and Fin standing by to lead Captain Lowell Harris away. "It's right where Ashley said it was."

Olivia allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction, though she couldn't quench the rising panic as he glared at her, brushing past with his hands cuffed behind his back, Elliot leading him off. "See you in twenty years Captain." She forced herself to look at him, their eyes meeting briefly before he was gone for good.

Melinda got to her feet and straightened her lab coat, looking at her hands as she did so. "How'd you know to ask Ashley about the mole?"

Olivia slowly walked towards the counter and leaned against it. "She remembered."

"But you couldn't have known that she was right." Mel said, turning towards Liv but not looking up at her just yet.

Liv swallowed nervously and looked to the medical examiner, her brow furrowed slightly. "I saw it….when he had me in the basement."

Melinda looked at her friend, unable to stop the lump that formed in her throat. She briefly looked at the bruise on Liv's face, feeling the same rage that both Elliot and Fin were feeling. "Olivia…" she started, coming to stand in front of her. "Did he rape you?"

Olivia met her eyes with her own, the tears brimming and threatening to spill. She opened her mouth to speak, no words coming out. She took in a deep breath, and when she managed to say something, her voice was nothing more than a whisper. "It's the closest I've ever come."

Melinda wanted to cry and hug her friend, but that would be unprofessional and she didn't want Olivia to feel any more vulnerable than she looked. She wanted to go after that man and beat the shit out of him before they hauled him away, but she couldn't. Olivia did not deserve this. Though she hadn't actually been raped, she had almost been, and the trauma from sexual assault was just as bad. Mel forced herself to remain calm for her friend's benefit, and the medical examiner in her took over. "Have a seat Liv, I'm going to do some blood work on you."

Olivia sighed and shook her head, making to leave. "Mel there isn't a po-"

"Don't argue with me Benson." She said sternly, standing in Olivia's path. "You were surrounded by a bunch of inmates and there was an outbreak of TB. I, for one, am not willing to risk it. Have a seat." Liv did as she was told and sat in the chair, sighing in defeat as Melinda rolled her sleeve up. She already looked mad, the healing cut on Olivia's arm doing nothing to ease that.

Both Elliot and Fin had come back to the room, but the two were standing outside of it instead of reentering, watching through one of the windows. Elliot watched as the conversation transpired between Olivia and Melinda, though he couldn't hear what they were saying. Neither could Fin. The sudden emotion that had washed over Olivia's face when Mel stepped closer, was enough to confirm Elliot's rising fears.

"What happened in that basement Fin?" he asked, not looking at the man standing next to him.

"I told you everything that went down, Elliot." Fin lied. He was looking at Olivia too, and felt utterly miserable.

"Dammit Tutuola don't lie to me!" Elliot said in an angry whisper, turning to stare at Fin, rage filling him completely. "I trusted you with her, and look! She's bruised, she's cut, she winces when she moves, and she's lying! You were supposed to protect her Fin! You!"

Fin turned away from the room and faced Elliot. The two stared each other down, the rage in Elliot subsiding ever so slightly as Fin's eyes glazed over. The man took in a deep breath and blinked rapidly. "I know El. I know." Then he turned and walked away, Elliot watching him go in silence. He sighed heavily and turned back to the room just in time, Olivia leaving abruptly. He waited a minute or two before he casually followed suit, giving her a head start while trying to figure out what he was going to do. One thing was for certain; this was going to be a long night.

Olivia stood underneath the steaming stream of water, the droplets peppering her skin warm and soothing. After being in the same room as Harris, she had the strong urge to shower. He made her feel….unclean, and disgusting. She scrubbed herself vigorously, her skin raw red, ignoring the pain she was feeling, both physically and emotionally. She was a victim, but she refused to admit or believe it. Once the water ran cold she turned it off, standing there for a moment to semi-drip-dry. She toweled her hair dry and dried the rest of the remaining water off her body, wrapping the towel around her. She was exhausted, and wanted to make a point to be asleep by the time Elliot got home. She did not want to talk about anything, at all. It was bad enough that she was still having flashbacks.

The bathroom door opened and Liv strode into her room, sighing tiredly before all hell broke loose. She felt a hand brush her shoulder and she tried to pull away, her mind filled with fear as panic took over. "NO!" she screamed. "Oh God nononono please no!"

Elliot wanted to throw his hands up and back away, but her reaction scared him. He went to touch her flailing arms gently, attempting to soothe her. "Shh shh woah Liv, calm down hun, calm down."

In her panic, she did not hear Elliot's words. Or rather, she didn't associate his voice to him. In her mind, Harris was there in her apartment trying to rape her. She struggled for air, her heart beating madly as she lashed out at Elliot, and cried out when he managed to grab her arms. "P-please please don't hurt me! N-no no no not again, please!"

"Baby breathe, it's me! It's Elliot!" he turned her around in his arms and held her gently, her screams stopping as she finally broke through her haze. "Deep breaths Liv, deep breaths. It's alright babe, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Just breathe."

Olivia gasped for air as she hyperventilated, trying to do as she was told while attempting to stem her tears and control her shaking. She choked out a sob and buried her face into his chest, her arms wrapping around him tightly as she broke down. "I-I…."

"Shhh." Elliot rubbed her back soothingly, forcing himself to remain calm for her benefit. "Shh baby it's ok, I'm here. I'm here. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He felt her head shake against his chest, unable to speak just yet. Elliot squeezed her waist lightly and backed her out of the bedroom, Olivia following him blindly. He whispered quietly to her, slowly lowering himself down onto the couch as the back of his knees came into contact with it and gathered Olivia in his arms.

She rest her forehead on the side of his face, finally able to get her sobs under control. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily, the panic subsiding. They sat there for a moment, holding each other, before Olivia shifted slightly in his arms and looked up at him. "I'm sorry El."

He kissed her forehead and smiled slightly, rubbing her arm slowly. "You don't have anything to be sorry about Liv, I should have made myself known first." He kept his eyes on her as she kissed his hand gently. "Honey are you alright?"

"Yes. No. Well I mean…" she sighed in frustration. "I'm alright right now. But…"

"You don't have to tell me anything if you're not up to it." He said gently, not wanting to cause her more stress than necessary.

Olivia shook her head and looked up at him, searching his eyes. "No, no you deserve to know." She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, bracing herself. "W-when I was in the basement..H-Harris, he…I…h-he-"

"It's alright baby, you're doing just fine." Elliot said soothingly, stroking her back slowly. "Deep breaths. You can stop if you want to."

Olivia smiled in appreciation and launched into the horrific events, amazingly managing to remain calm and rational. Part of that was the fact she was utterly exhausted, and didn't have it in her to cry anymore. The adrenaline that had coursed through her from her panic attack hadn't quite left her system though, however the dull throb of pain in her ribs, face, legs, and stomach had returned.

The rage that was coursing through Elliot's veins was _much_ worse than it had ever been. He wanted to kill. He wanted to make that man suffer as much as he'd made Olivia suffer. Worse. A hundred times worse. "Th-that man. If I-" he spat out through his grit teeth, his hands balled into fists. "I'll kill him."

Olivia shifted her body again and straddled his waist, taking his face in her hands. "Breathe baby." She said quietly, the anger in his eyes frightening her a little. "He won't be able to hurt any more women where he's at." Although she didn't believe her words fully, she was set on trying to calm Elliot down.

"I know, but-"

She brushed his lips with hers, feeling his body relax slightly. "It's going to take some time and it won't be easy, but I'll be alright."

Elliot's hands slowly came out their tight balls and he rest them on her thighs, nodding his head. "Ok."

Liv returned her lips to his and kissed him slowly, her body shuddering under his soft hands. She was in the process of trying to deepen it when she moved her body the wrong way and sucked in a sharp breath, her abdomen and ribs protesting. The rage returned to Elliot's eyes and he dropped his hands, afraid that he'd cause her more pain. "He hurt you." She'd told him everything, but still.

"I'm fine. He crushed me, hit me, and bruised me, but he didn't break me." she said softly. When he said nothing further she leaned in to him and kissed his neck, her fingers playing with the buttons on his shirt and her hips slowly grinding onto his.

He groaned lowly in his throat, already growing hard from her teasing. He felt her fingers tugging on the buttons, her tongue brushing his bottom lip. Regretfully, Elliot stilled her hands with one of his, stilling her hips with the other. "Wait baby, stop. You've had a long and rough day, you really should rest."

"I need this Elliot." She said quietly, her eyes filled with desperation. "I don't want him to be the last person that t-tasted me…and touched me. I want you El, please make him go away." Olivia pled with him, slightly annoyed and angry with him, but the fear of rejection clouded her mind even more. "Don't you want me?"

Elliot frowned and stared at her. "Of course I want you, I love you. What kind of question is that?"

She blinked rapidly and shook her head. "Then why won-"

He shushed her with a light kiss to the lips before taking her chin in one hand and tilting her head to the side, kissing the bruise on her face lightly. "I just don't want to hurt you." He whispered against her skin.

The rising fears vanished before they could permeate and solidify in her mind, a soft smile gracing her lips. She kissed the tip of his nose and rest her hand on the side of his face. "Just put your hands on me and I'll forget about all of it, even the pain." Her hips rocked into his and his hands ran up the hem of the towel wrapped around her. "You could never hurt me." She whispered against his lips.

Elliot smiled slightly and nodded his head, pulling the towel off of her body. "Yes ma'am." He loved feeling her body underneath his, arching up into him, but he also liked it when she took charge. Right now, he felt it was important that she took control of the situation, so in the end they both won.

Olivia giggled slightly and returned her lips to his, brushing his bottom lip with her tongue once again. This time he parted his lips for her and she deepened the kiss, pushing his shirt off of his shoulders. Their passionate kiss turned ravenous as she ripped the zipper to his pants down, getting off of him long enough to pull his pants and boxers down. She straddled his lap once more and slowly sank onto his length, Elliot burying his face in her chest, his hands squeezing her well-formed behind tightly.

The next morning, something was not right. Olivia sprang up out of Elliot's embrace, a strong wave of nausea overwhelming her. She got up and stumbled towards the bathroom, Elliot waking to the sound of her retching in the toilet. He got off the couch and made to follow her, but his phone buzzed before he got out of the living room. He growled in frustration and answered the offensive object. Just as he hung up Olivia came back into the room, her face sweaty and her body shaky. He went to her, seeing the large bruise on her stomach and side for the first time. "Was that from…?"

"Yeah." she said weakly, brushing the back of her hand across her forehead.

"You alright baby?" he asked in concern, feeling the side of her face with the back of his fingers. "You don't feel like you're feverish, just clammy."

"I'm fine, it was probably something I ate." Though she knew that wasn't true, this happened to her several times that week. She hoped it wasn't the flu or something. "Who was that?"

He rubbed her back soothingly, completely oblivious to the fact that the two were bare-ass-naked, standing in the middle of her living room. "It was Mel, she said she needed to talk to you about your blood work."

Olivia rolled her eyes and sighed. "Great, what could i- wait why'd she call you and not me?"

Elliot shrugged his shoulders and grinned. "She said your phone went straight to voicemail and I was the next best option."

She grumbled and left his embrace, heading back to the bathroom. "Fine I'll go, but I'm brushing my teeth first. Today's my day off damnit."

Not an hour later they were walking in to the precinct Elliot shaking his head in amusement. Liv had refused to get all dressed up. Instead, she was clad in a tight white tank top, a pair of short girly boxer shorts, her sneakers, and one of Elliot's button-up shirts. If it wasn't obvious that there wasn't something going on between them before, it sure as hell was now. She was beyond caring anymore.

Before they reached their desks, they ran into Fin. Olivia and Fin's eyes met, this being the first time either had come face-to-face since the basement. His eyes started to water and he shook his head, swallowing heavily. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I shou-"

Olivia wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly, Fin holding on to her like she'd disappear if he let her go, his body trembling. "You did everything that you could have Fin." she said quietly, feeling him nod his head. "It's not your fault, so please stop blaming yourself. Nobody could have known."

"I love you little sis." he whispered gruffly.

She smiled and kissed the side of his head, rubbing his back soothingly. "I love you too Fin. You're like my big brother, and I know you'd kick Harris's ass if you could."

"Only if I didn't get to him first." Elliot said with a slight chuckle, Olivia joining him. Elliot and Fin's eyes met over her shoulder, the two watching each other carefully. El smiled gratefully at Fin and nodded his head, holding his hand out in apology. Fin returned the smile and took Elliot's hand, shaking it firmly while keeping one arm wrapped around Liv.

Fin sniffed and finally let go Olivia, returning to his usual demeanor, though the happy sparkle in his eye wasn't hard to miss. "Oh ya Liv, Warner's lookin' for ya.

She nodded and the three went their separate ways. They reached Munch's desk when the smell of coffee hit Olivia. The overwhelming nausea overpowered her senses again and she grabbed the nearest trashcan, Elliot stroking her back. "Hello to you too Liv." Munch said with his usual sarcasm, but the underlying concern in his voice could be heard.

"Sorry about that John." She said shakily, Elliot helping her to stand up straight.

Melinda cleared her throat and the three turned their attention to her. "Finished, Liv?"

She stole a mint from off of Munch's desk and popped it in her mouth, her nose wrinkling at the lingering taste of bile in her mouth. "Yeah I think so, though I'm not sure what's going on."

Melinda smiled slightly and led her away from the others, Elliot catching the mischievous gleam dancing in the ME's eyes. He arched an eyebrow and looked down at Munch, Fin reappearing to stand next to his partner. Mel cleared her throat and scanned the paper in her hands. "Is this the first time?"

Olivia shook her head and sighed, only slightly curious as to why she was whispering. "No, it's happened several times."

"Well, honey that's normal. You're blood work came back this morning and everything's normal; except-"

"I think I'm coming down with something." Olivia continued, unaware that her friend had begun speaking. "At first I thought it was something that I ate. Then I thought it was the aftermath of that bastard hitting me in the stomach, but that can't be it because it happened be-"

"HE WHAT?" Melinda blurted out, catching everyone off guard. Even Cragen poked his head out of his office. Olivia was taken aback by the anger radiating off of her friend. Elliot, Munch, and Fin were walking towards the two, El staring at his love in concern.

"Mel, what's-"

"Come with me. Now." Melinda grabbed her by the arm and led her off, Olivia forced to comply.

As the two passed Cragen's office he stepped out in front of the trailing three, Cragen looking at each one in turn. "What's going on?"

"Not sure Cap, Mel didn't say anything." Fin said with a shrug. Cragen nodded and motioned for them to follow, eyeing Elliot carefully as they strode to the examining room.

Melinda sat Liv down on a table and flipped some of the equipment on, adjusting Olivia's seat until she was on an incline. Mel pulled some gloves on and rummaged around in a drawer. "Lift your shirt up."

"What's-"

"Just do it."

Olivia sighed and did as she was told, avoiding Melinda's eyes as the woman saw the darkening bruise on her stomach and side. She continued to avert her eyes as a thin layer of cold gel was spread over her stomach. "Will you please tell me what this is all about?" she winced slightly as the heat from the instrument in Melinda's hand burned her slightly. "I'm not broken, I had xrays, I don't need an ultrasound. I'm fine Mel."

Melinda was quiet as she moved across Olivia's stomach, her eyes fixed to the images on the screen. She sighed in relief and smiled, turning towards the irritated Detective and rolled her eyes, the woman still refusing to look at the ME. "Everything looks fine. If you weren't in shape, I'm afraid I'd be giving you bad news. You lucked out Liv."

She smiled slightly and turned her head towards Melinda, her eyes flickering to the screen briefly. "Oh that's good to know. Can I…go…no-" her eyes returned back to the monitor and her heart stopped beating. She stared long and hard at what she was seeing, her eyes filling up with tears. "Melinda," she started quietly, swallowing deeply, not daring to breathe. "I-is…is that…?"

Mel smiled softly and squeezed her friend's hand. "Yes sugar, that's a baby. A baby at about nine weeks to be exact."

Olivia finally remembered to breathe and she let out something between a sob and a laugh. She held a hand to her mouth and stared at the tiny thing in disbelief, a tear spilling out onto her cheek. "Th-that's our baby. I can't believe it…after all this time….after all that…"

Melinda laughed. "Well believe it mama, because there is no mistaking that." Her eyes flickered to the door way and she motioned for the person to come in. "Come here daddy, wanna say hello to your little one?"

Liv didn't see Elliot in the doorway, and didn't look up when he entered the room; she was too fixated on her baby, _their_ baby. Elliot put a hand on her shoulder and sat in the chair next to her, Olivia laying her hand on his. Overjoyed was an understatement, but that was a good term to describe what Elliot was feeling at that point in time. Despite everything that had happened to her, despite everything that they'd gone through, he was able to give her what she wanted most. He helped his best friend in the only way that he knew how, and both had benefitted from the experience. He'd been looking forward to spending the rest of his life with her, and now, in addition to that, he was looking forward to raising a family with her. "Well, this explains why you've been so emotional lately." Elliot joked.

She hit him lightly and laughed through her tears, knowing that he was right. "Yeah, well….it's your fault."

Elliot took her face in his hands and brushed the tears away with his thumbs, the two unaware of their audience. "Why are you crying baby?" he asked softly.

"Because I'm happy. So happy. That's your fault too." she whispered back.

"Mel do me a favor and turn around for a second." The woman rolled her eyes and grinned, waving her hand at the three other curious people outside of the room. Elliot attacked Olivia's lips with his own, kissing her deeply. "I love you Olivia, so much."

She smiled and nuzzled his nose. "I love you too Elliot." She kissed him lightly and turned to Melinda, a frown on her face. "Mel, how'd you know it was Elliot?"

She cleared her throat and looked directly at her friend, a smirk on her face. "Next time you use this room you should lock the door." She said quietly.

"Oh…" Olivia laughed nervously, blushing furiously.

"There's a lock on the door?" Elliot asked incredulously.

The three laughed, though it came to a sudden halt as somebody cleared their throat loudly. Olivia's heart dropped into her stomach and she could taste the bile in the back of her throat once again. She tentatively turned her heads towards the door, sighing quietly in defeat. "Captain." Elliot, however, refused to look at him.

Don Cragen stood in the doorway, his hands clasped behind his back, Fin and Munch peeking over his shoulders. He stared at the two, sensing the air of defeat that hung over them. Even Melinda seemed put off. He took in a deep breath and sighed, not sure what he was supposed to do now. He had majorly conflicting emotions running through his mind.

First and foremost, he was excited for them. Olivia deserved somebody that was going to love and take care of her for the rest of her life. She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but she needed someone to help complete her, and Elliot was perfect for the job. Elliot was a good father and husband, but Cragen had understood that things hadn't been going well between Elliot and Kathy. If he were to date or remarry even, he would have paired him with Olivia instantly. They were good together, in every aspect, and now they were starting a new life together. The two automatically had his blessing.

However, he was their Captain. Relationships of an intimate nature between coworkers were not accepted, because of the problems it could potentially cause. Sometimes they worked out, but for the most part it was a hassle. It was his duty to either move one to another unit, break them up, or let one of them go. He did not wish to do any of these, but he himself suffered consequences if he did not deal with the issue. He was already facing suspension. But what mattered most to him? His job? Or the happiness of the two people he loved most in this world?

"I would tell you three to leave," he directed at Fin, Munch, and Melinda. "but since everything is out in the open, that's pretty much pointless. You two have put me in a bit of a predicament you realize?"

"Yes sir." Elliot said quietly, squeezing Olivia's hand.

Liv kissed the back of it and looked at Cragen, her eyes apologetic and her voice sincere. "That was not our intention at all, Captain. Believe me when I say that we're both sorry." She lowered her eyes and nodded her head. "I'll put in my two weeks notice now. If one of us has to go, I'd rather it be me. Elliot has children he has to take care of, and I'll be ok for a while." Elliot had made to protest, but she held a hand up, cutting him off.

Cragen arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms across his chest. "What are you talking about Benson? I didn't say anything about letting either of you go. You're going to need to be saving up all your sick days for the seven or eight months ahead of you. Though that is a noble suggestion, I appreciate it."

Elliot turned to face Cragen, dumbfounded. "What?"

His eyes sparkled and he looked from one to the other. "Can you promise me, that while you're on the job you'll keep your relationship friendly and professional?"

"Yes sir, of course."

"Can you promise me, that you'll wait until you are in your own home to…ease some tension? I can't keep tampering with the security tape guys, they're bound to catch on to me eventually."

"You have our word." Olivia said, the blush returning to her face.

Cragen blushed slightly too, and cleared his throat to relieve the embarrassment. "Elliot, what are your intentions for this lovely lady?"

Elliot smiled and took Olivia's hand in his own. "I want to take care of her for the rest of our lives. If she'll let me, that is. I know my kids are crazy about her, and she's crazy about them too. And now she's having my baby, our baby. I think it'd be only right of me to make it official, since we're living together and everything.

"El…" she started, sitting up and searching his eyes with hers. "Are you…?"

He laughed and took her face in his hands. "I was going to wait, ask you tonight, but I'd rather have everybody here anyway. Now mind you, I don't have the ring here with me, but what the hell." He slid off his chair and kneeled on the floor, holding Olivia's hand. "Olivia Benson, will you marry me? I don't have much to offer; I've got baggage, no house, a pretty well-paying job…but I want to take care of you, and our child. I love you Liv, what do you say?"

She swung her legs off of the table and got to her feet, pulling Elliot up to his. She put a hand on his face, that gorgeous smile of hers spreading across her face. "Yes, Elliot. Yes I would love to-" The rest was muffled as he wrapped his arms around her and claimed her lips, pouring his every emotion into that kiss. Everyone clapped and cheered joyfully, Elliot hugging her tightly, but careful to not squeeze her too hard.

After that the tension really broke and everybody flooded in the room to hug the two. Throughout the events, Melinda had turned the equipment off for the time being, and she was the first to wrap her arms around Olivia and kiss her cheek before moving to Elliot. Cragen was the last to wrap his arms around the woman, kissing her forehead fondly and holding on to her longer than the others had.

"Good grief, there you all are!" A.D.A Casey Novak sighed, clearly irritated. "Nobody could tell us what the hell's going on an- wait, what _is_ going on?" she arched an eyebrow and studied them all, highly confused.

"Elliot's gonna be a daddy." Fin said with a grin, clapping him in the shoulder. He and Munch snickered quietly, painstakingly awaiting the lighting to hit.

"Oh congrats El!" Casey said brightly, hugging him, the entire scene flying way over her head. "When's the due date?"

"Well, according to Mel in about eight months." Olivia said with a grin, her eyes sparkling.

"Aww I bet K- WHOA!" she stopped midsentence; her eyes open wide with shock. "Olivia you answered me. Why'd you answer me? Wait a minute…" she studied them quizzically, actually taking the time to think everything through carefully. "OH MY GOD!" she squealed, very unNovack like, and wrapped Olivia in her arms, everyone present roaring in laughter.

"There's more to it Case." Cragen said, positively beaming.

"Really? Tell tell tell!" She was uber excited for her friends, quite obviously so.

"Well-"

"What's everybody doing in here?" They all fell silent as the stoic Dr. George Huang stopped in the room, his calculating gaze scrutinizing every occupant in the ever-crowding examination room. "Did Casey just _squeal_?"

"Err….well….yeah….."

"I missed something." He said suspiciously. For a psychiatrist, he wasn't very observant.

"Elliot knocked Liv up, so now they're gonna get married." Munch said simply, breaking the awkward silence. Which was broken with his grunt of pain as Melinda stomped his foot and Casey smacked his arm. Fin tried so hard not to snigger at this point.

At first George just stood there, staring at them all, his face void of any expression. Then he shocked them all by sighing in exasperation and thrusting his fist up in the air. "IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!"

The tension was broken and laughter broke out once again, the hugging breaking out once more. Olivia was so happy and taken aback by everybody else's joy she couldn't help the tears that streamed down her face. She finally noticed that her shirt was still rolled up over her stomach and she let out something between a sob and a giggle. "Oh no, I got ultrasound gel all over you guys!"

The laughter died off and Cragen cleared his throat once more. "Now, I suggest that everybody in this room keep this amongst us only. Though, I'm pretty sure the entire department probably knows what's going on; we haven't been exactly quiet. Run along guys, we've got work to do. Except for you two." He said to Elliot and Olivia. "Get the hell out of here, you both have the day off, remember?"

They chuckled and thanked him, everyone else filtering out with one last hug. Olivia tried to walk out the door but Melinda stopped her. "No way, get back her for a second missy. Until this baby is born, your ass is mine. Understand? I want you in here every month for your check-ups, and if I say I want to do blood work, don't argue with me. Got it?" Liv rolled her eyes and nodded, pretending to be annoyed with the medical examiner. Melinda grinned and waved her hand. "Good, I'm glad we had this talk. Now go on, get out of here."

Elliot and Olivia stood outside of the precinct, the busy day of New York City passing them by in a rush of people and cars. Olivia laughed in joy and hugged Elliot tightly. "God this day has been amazing."

He grinned and rubbed her back. "It hasn't even started yet."

"I know, that's the beauty of it!"

He chuckled and pulled back far enough to where he could kiss her lips lovingly. "Are you scared?" he asked, nudging her nose with his.

"A little." she replied honestly, her eyes searching his. "But, I know that we'll get through this just fine. We have each other to lean on, and a family that cares."

He smiled and looked over at the precinct fondly. "That we do. I love you Olivia."

She kissed him softly and stroked the side of his face slowly. "I love you too Elliot. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Elliot kissed her forehead and took her hand in his. "You won't be thinking that in about eight months."

They both laughed as he led her off to the parking garage, neither of them sure of what the future was truly going to bring. Though they knew one thing for certain; they'd be there, together, and face it head on, no matter what.


End file.
